Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
PayPal Inc. is dropping any pretense of not pursuing point-of-sale payments directly. The eBay Inc. subsidiary now promises that it has new services coming for paying at physical locations using smart phones. Third-party software developers for several years have been designing various apps that have blurred the line between …
May, 2011
-
20 May
Debit May Have Dethroned It, But King Cash Retains Its Allure
Cash: the merchant’s friend or foe? Two of the nation’s largest merchants on Thursday expressed surprisingly favorable views about the ancient payment method while an executive with the Chicago Transit Authority, the nation’s second-largest public-transportation system, wished it would go away as soon as possible. The comments came during the …
-
18 May
Online Fraud Losses Show Two-Year Drop for Airlines, Survey Says
The world’s airlines are seeing less fraud these days in their online bookings, thanks to more experience with Web-based ticket sales and wider usage of fraud-fighting tools, according to a study released on Wednesday. Overall, online fraud for air carriers dropped 31%, from $1.7 billion to $1.4 billion, between …
-
18 May
As Banks Rally, the NRF Escalates the Debit Card Interchange Lobbying War
With bank opposition to the Durbin Amendment growing, the National Retail Federation on Wednesday launched what it calls a major, 60-day advocacy campaign to “preserve swipe-fee reform” for debit cards. The multipronged effort, according to an NRF news release, includes an “intensive grass-roots” campaign to mobilize retailers through NRF …
-
17 May
A Private Investment Firm Picks up Regulus, J&B for $137 Million
In a deal that underscores the growing importance of electronic billing and presentment, New York City-based private-investment firm Cerberus Capital Management has agreed to buy the Regulus and J&B Software payments units from India-based 3i Infotech Ltd. The deal, valued at $137 million, is expected to close within about …
-
17 May
Pummeled in the Recession, Credit Cards Get Back on a Growth Track
After taking a nasty hit in the recession, credit cards are back on their feet, though somewhat wobbly. Figures from First Data Corp., the largest U.S merchant processor, show that credit card usage is sustaining growth after returning to positive territory in early 2010. Data from the bank card …
-
12 May
Durbin Regs Will Take Effect, Though Possibly a Little Late And with Caps ‘Modified’
Like them or not, the Federal Reserve Board’s controversial debit card regulations to implement the so-called Durbin Amendment will take effect, though possibly a little late, according to Capitol Hill observers speaking at the Electronic Transactions Association’s annual conference Wednesday. In the meantime, a proposed 12-cent cap on debit interchange …
-
12 May
Justice Department Seeks to Block VeriFone-Hypercom Merger on Antitrust Grounds
The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit Thursday to stop VeriFone Systems Inc. from buying Hypercom Corp., saying the proposed $485 million stock deal “would substantially reduce competition in the U.S. point-of-sale terminal market.” The DoJ said the current plan to sell most of Hypercom’s U.S. assets to the North …
-
12 May
Social Networking Moves to the POS, Bringing with It New Interest in Deals
Marketing via social-network tools, long thought to be a feature primarily of e-commerce, is rapidly moving to the physical point of sale as merchants seek new ways to generate sales and independent sales organizations look for ways to differentiate themselves. This move to the point of sale, meanwhile, has been …
-
11 May
Visa Announces an E-Wallet for Mobile, E-Commerce, and POS Transactions
n Visa Inc. announced on Wednesday a digital wallet aimed at increasing its share of transactions in mobile payments, e-commerce, and at the point of sale. n The digital wallet will store all the payment cards in a consumer’s wallet, including non-Visa branded cards, Jim McCarthy, Visa's head of global …